DIY: How to Recycle Real Egg Shells Into Decorative Book Page Eggs

My Mother was a pro at making something out of nothing. When I was a little girl, she taught me how to remove the yolks & whites from inside an egg without crushing the shell. She would use the eggs to make breakfast and then paint the shells. She was an amazing oil painter and an avid reader. I unfortunately didn't get her amazing painting skills but did get a dose of her creativity and a love for reading. So, I decided to create some decorative book page eggs in memory of her. Here's looking at you, Mom! :)

First I washed the outside the egg thoroughly with dish soap and dried it. I then put a hole with a straight pin in each end of it. My mom put small pin holes in each end so they wouldn't be as noticeable when she added her artwork. However, since I knew that I was going to be covering these with paper, I chipped away at my pin holes and made them a little bigger to make the process go a little easier. Be patient while you're doing this or you will totally crack the egg.

Next I put my mouth on one end a blew the insides out into a bowl to use for scrambled eggs. Sorry but I just couldn't bring myself to post a pic of me blowing into an egg. Trust me. I'm doing you a favor.

Remember: whatever you do don't suck in unless you want a mouth full of raw egg! Be sure to remove your mouth between breaths.

After all the insides of the egg was removed, I ran a little water down in the cracks, shook it around inside, then blew out the water in the sink and allowed the egg to dry.

While it was drying, I ripped out some pages from old worn out paperback and also printed some old French dictionary pages and cut them into strips.

Don't skewer me friends. I love reading and crafting with book pages is a way that I can love a book a little longer, after it's no longer fit to be read...missing pages, out dated how-to books and etc.

I then used Mod Podge to glue on strips in various directions until I had the egg completely covered.

Once I had the egg completely covered (including the holes) in several layers of strips, I added a couple of coats of the Modge Podge on top to seal the the strips and give the eggs a finished look.

You can use this process with pretty much any paper you desire, including scrapbook paper or you skip the paper and Modge Podge all together and paint scenes on them like my Mom did. The only limit to this craft is your imagination. Thanks, Mom!!